Heated casting ladle support arrangement

ABSTRACT

A support arrangement for a tiltable heated casting ladle includes a frame movably supported by flanged wheels riding on rails and containing support means for the ladle. The support means comprises an open bearing support on one side of the frame and a horizontally disposed bolt positioned on a bearing pedestal on the opposite side of the frame. A horizontally extending pin is secured to one side of the ladle and is supported in the open bearing support and a vertically extending downwardly directed fork is attached to the other side of the ladle and has recesses in its lower end which sit on the bolt mounted on the bearing pedestal. Alternatively, a downwardly directed fork can be fitted on each of two opposed sides of the ladle and supported on bolts mounted on bearing pedestals on each side of the frame.

United States Patent Gillhaus et a].

[ 51 Sept. 5, 1972 [54] HEATED CASTING LADLE SUPPORT 211 Appl. No.:72,365 v [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 20,1969 Germany..P 19 47 711.3

52 vs. C] ..222/166, 222/010. 8

51 lnt.Cl ..B67d5/64 5s Fieldofsearchn; ..;....222/l66, 559

[56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATEN'IS 7 1,469,225 10/1923 Ladd..'.[.222/DIG. 8

2,036,115 3/1936 Branch ..222/166 Primary Examiner-Stanley H. TollbergAttorney-McGlew and Toren ABSTRACT A support arrangement for a tiltableheated casting ladle includes a frame movably supported by flangedwheels riding on rails and containing support means for the ladle. Thesupport means comprises an open bearing support on one side of the frameand a horizontally disposed bolt positioned on a bearing pedestal on theopposite side of the frame. A horizontally extending pin is secured toone side of the ladle and is supported'in the open bearing support and avertically extending downwardly directed fork is attached to the otherside of the ladle and has recesses in its lower end which sit on thebolt mounted on the bearing pedestal. Alternatively, a downwardlydirected fork can be fitted on each of two opposed sides of the ladleand supported on bolts mounted on bearing pedestals on each side of theframe.

8 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures 6 l I w ..l 32 3/ B I l 30 Fig.1

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HEATED CASTING LADLE SUPPORT ARRANGEMENT SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION can beremoved from its support without requiring dis- 0 assembly of thesupport.

Heated casting ladies are used in various forms and designs for fillingintermediate vessels and for the direct casting of melt material intomolds.

In German Pat. No. 747,348, a tiltable melting furnace is describedwhich has closed bearings for receiving the pivot pins of the furnace.One of the pivot pins is connected with a turning gear. This arrangementhas the disadvantage that before the furnace can be removed for repairs,the bearings must be taken apart and later reassembled after thereinstallation of the furnace.

In German Auslegeschrift 1,288,767, a casting device is disclosed whichincludes a rolling undercarriage on which a frame is displaceable normalto its direction of movement. The frame includes half-shells forsupporting a plug ladle, when the ladle is emptied, it is lifted bymeans of a crane out of the open bearing shells for refilling afterwhich it is replaced on the frame. In such a mounting arrangement, theladle cannot be tilted because of the danger that it might be displacedout of its half-shell bearings.

The primary object of the present invention is to afford a tiltableheated casting ladle which can be lifted out of its support bearingswithout any disassembly of the bearings when it is necessary to removethe ladle for repairs or other purposes.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, a supportarrangement for a tiltable casting ladle includes an open bearingsupport on one side of a frame and a horizontally extending bolt securedon a bearing pedestal on the opposite side of the frame with a pinsecured to and extending horizontally from one side of the ladle andsupported in the open bearing support and a vertically extendingdownwardly directed fork member secured to the other side of the ladleand having recesses in its lower ends which fit on the bolt on thebearing pedestal.

Alternatively, in another embodiment of the invention, in place of thepin on one side of the ladle, both sides of the ladle can be provided,in a mirror-symmetrical arrangement, with vertically extendingdownwardly directed forks arranged to fit on bolts mounted on bearingpedestals on opposite sides of the frame.

Further, to avoid the necessity for disassembling and reassembling thetilting device when the ladle is removed, the present invention includesa two-armed lever mounted intermediate its ends on the horizontal boltsupporting the fork member of the ladle. The arms of the lever extendoutwardly from one another on opposite sides of the point of attachmentof the lever to the bolt. The free end of one arm is fitted into arecess in the fork member located upwardly from the horizontal bolt andits other free end is connected to a piston rod which extends outwardlyfrom a piston cylinder articulated to the frame. To providesymmetrically acting forces for pivoting large and, as a result, heavycasting ladles, with a favorable effect on the design of the ladle aswell as on that of the frame, the opposite sides of the ladle containthe vertically extending downwardly directed forks supported on thehorizontal bolts and a two armed lever is secured to each of the bolts,with one free end of the lever in engagement with the fork member andthe other free end secured to a piston rod extending from a pistoncylinder articulated to the frame.

To assure that the frame supporting the ladle is freely movable, theactuating device for the piston cylinder or cylinders can be mounted onthe frame for the ladle.

For quickly separating the ladle from its source of heat energy theinvention includes the provision of rapid couplings in the lines whichsupply heat energy to the heating device of the ladle.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use,reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there are illustrated and described preferredembodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an induction trough furnace with plug dischargeused as a casting ladle tiltably mounted on a frame in accordance withthe present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 takenalong the line AB.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In FIGS. 1 and 2 a rail carriage lmovably supports flange wheels 2 and 3 which are secured to and providemovable displacement for a frame 4. An induction trough furnace 5 with abottom outlet 6 for the discharge of the melt, is mounted on the frameand acts as a casting ladle.

As shown in FIG. 2, a bearing shell 7 open at its top is mounted on theframe 4 and a horizontally extending pin 8 secured to the inductiontrough furnace 5 is supported in the bearing shell. On the opposite sideof the frame 4 a bearing pedestal 13 is secured to it and supports ahorizontally disposed bolt 12 having its axis extending in parallelrelationship with the axis of the pin 8. A vertically extendingdownwardly arranged fork member 9 is secured to the furnace 5 above thebolt 12 andthe lower free ends 10 of the fork and each provided'with arecess 11 which fits downwardly onto the bolt 12. In order to pivot ortilt the furnace 5 about a horizontal axis, a two-armed lever 14 isrotatably mounted on the bolt 12 at a position intermediate its oppositeends. Each of its arms extends to a free end in an opposite directionfrom the point of support on the bolt 12. One free end 15 of the lever14 extends upwardly and fits into a corresponding bore 16 in the centralpart 17 of the fork 9. The other free end 18 of the lever 14 is locatedbelow the pin 12 and is connected by means of a pin 19 to the end 20 ofpiston rod 21 which extends outwardly from a piston cylinder 22 which isarticulated to the frame 4.

An actuating device 23 for operating the piston cylinder 22 is locatedin a cabinet 24 mounted on the frame 4.

Additionally, a lifting device 25 for the furnace cover 26 is positionedon the frame 4 and the cover closes the filling opening 27 of thefurnace when casting takes place.

For proportioning the discharge of melt materi from the outlet 6 acontrol device 28 is positioned on the induction trough furnace forcontrolling the movement of a plug rod 29.

Located at the lower end of the furnace is a trough body 30 which issubject to the greatest wear and can be replaced when the furnace hasbeen tilted in the partially filled state.

' Supply lines 31 extend between an inductor, not shown, positioned inthe trough body 30 and a current supply source, not shown, and rapidcouplings 32 are provided for connection to the inductor so thatinterruptions in production are kept to a minimum when a furnace 5 isremoved and is replaced by another one.

In accordance with the present invention, the advantages are achieved inthat the casting ladle or furnace 5 can be lifted off its bearingsupports on the frame and it can be removed from its tilting memberwithout the requirement for any disassembly or reassembly of any of theparts involved.

What is claimed is:

l. A heated casting ladle support arrangement comprising a frame, aladle mounted on said frame and tiltable thereon about a horizontalaxis, support means arranged at least on one side of said ladle andcomprising a bearing pedestal, a horizontally extending bolt supportedon said bearing pedestal, and a fork member secured to said ladle andhaving a pair of vertically extending downwardly directed legs, thelower end of each of said legs on said fork member having a recesstherein for fitting removably on said bolt, a two-armed lever rotatablymounted on said bolt on said bearing pedestal and having one armextending upwardly therefrom and the other arm oppositely directed fromsaid one arm, said fork member comprising a central part interconnectingsaid legs, said central part having a bore therein, hydraulic means inoperative engagement with said lever, the free end of one arm of saidlever fitted in engagement within said bore in said central part of saidfork, the other said arm of said lever connected to said hydraulic meansso that said twoarmed lever can be rotated about said bolt on saidbearing pedestal for tilting the casting ladle.

2. A heated casting ladle support arrangement, as set forth in claim 1,wherein said support means is secured to each of two opposite sides ofsaid ladle.

3. A heated casting ladle support arrangement, as set forth in claim 1,wherein said support means is located on one side of said ladle, an openbearing support secured to the opposite side of said frame from saidsupport means, a pin secured to and extending horizontally from the sideof said ladle adjacent said open bearing support and supported in saidopen bearing suport. p 4. A heated casting ladle support arrangement, asset forth in claim 1, wherein said hydraulic means comprises a pistoncylinder articulated to said frame, a piston rod extending axially fromsaid piston cylinder,

and the free end of the other arm of said lever bein connected to theend of said piston rod extending ou wardly from said piston cylinder sothat by displacing said piston rod within said piston cylinder saidtwoarmed lever can be rotated about said bolt on said bearing pedestal.

5. A heated casting ladle support arrangement, as set forth in claim 2,wherein two said bearing pedestals arranged one on each of the oppositesides of said frame, one of said two-armed levers rotatably mounted oneach of said bolts, and said hydraulic means comprises a pair of pistoncylinders each articulated to an opposite side of said framecorresponding to the opposite sides on which said bearing pedestals arelocated, a piston rod extending axially from each said piston cylinder,the free ends of the other arms of said levers each movably connected tothe end of a different one of said piston rods so that by cooperativelydisplacing said piston rods within said piston cylinder said twoarmedlevers can be rotated about said bolts on said bearing pedestals fortilting said ladle.

6. A heated casting ladle support assembly, as set forth in claim 4,wherein an actuating device is mounted on said frame for operating saidpiston rod within said piston cylinder.

7. A heated casting ladle support arrangement, as set forth in claim 4,wherein rapid couplings provided on said casting ladle for quicklyconnecting and disconnecting energy supply lines to said casting ladlefor supplying heat thereto.

8. A heated casting ladle support arrangement, as set forth in claim 4,wherein said casting ladle has a bottom outlet for discharging the melttherefrom, a plug rod supported in said casting ladle for regulatingflow from said bottom outlet, and a control device mounted on saidcasting ladle for selectively displacing said plug rod for controllingthe quantity of melt discharged from said bottom outlet.

1. A heated casting ladle support arrangement comprising a frame, aladle mounted on said frame and tiltable thereon about a horizontalaxis, support means arranged at least on one side of said ladle andcomprising a bearing pedestal, a horizontally extending bolt supportedon said bearing pedestal, and a fork member secured to said ladle andhaving a pair of vertically extending downwardly directed legs, thelower end of each of said legs on said fork member having a recesstherein for fitting removably on said bolt, a two-armed lever rotatablymounted on said bolt on said bearing pedestal and having one armextending upwardly therefrom and the other arm oppositely directed fromsaid one arm, said fork member comprising a central part interconnectingsaid legs, said central part having a bore therein, hydraulic means inoperative engagement with said lever, the free end of one arm of saidlever fitted in engagement within said bore in said central part of saidfork, the other said arm of said lever connected to said hydraulic meansso that said twoarmed lever can be rotated about said bolt on saidbearing pedestal for tilting the casting ladle.
 2. A heated castingladle support arrangement, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said supportmeans is secured to each of two opposite sides of said ladle.
 3. Aheated casting ladle support arrangement, as set forth in claim 1,wherein said support means is located on one side of said ladle, an openbearing support secured to the opposite side of said frame from saidsupport means, a pin secured to and extending horizontally from the sideof said ladle adjacent said open bearing support and supported in saidopen bearing support.
 4. A heated casting ladle support arrangement, asset forth in claim 1, wherein said hydraulic means comprises a pistoncylinder articulated to said frame, a piston rod extending axially fromsaid piston cylinder, and the free end of the other arm of said leverbeing connected to the end of said piston rod extending outwardly fromsaid piston cylinder so that by displacing said piston rod within saidpiston cylinder said two-armed lever can be rotated about said bolt onsaid bearing pedestal.
 5. A heated casting ladle support arrangement, asset forth in claim 2, wherein two said bearing pedestals arranged one oneach of the opposite sides of said frame, one of said two-armed leversrotatably mounted on each of said bolts, and said hydraulic meanscomprises a pair of piston cylinders each articulated to an oppositeside of said frame corresponding to the opposite sides on which saidbearing pedestals are located, a piston rod extending axially from eachsaid piston cylinder, the free ends of the other arms of said leverseach movably connected to the end of a different one of said piston rodsso that by cooperatively displacing said piston rods within said pistoncylinder said two-armed levers can be rotated about said bolts on saiDbearing pedestals for tilting said ladle.
 6. A heated casting ladlesupport assembly, as set forth in claim 4, wherein an actuating deviceis mounted on said frame for operating said piston rod within saidpiston cylinder.
 7. A heated casting ladle support arrangement, as setforth in claim 4, wherein rapid couplings provided on said casting ladlefor quickly connecting and disconnecting energy supply lines to saidcasting ladle for supplying heat thereto.
 8. A heated casting ladlesupport arrangement, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said casting ladlehas a bottom outlet for discharging the melt therefrom, a plug rodsupported in said casting ladle for regulating flow from said bottomoutlet, and a control device mounted on said casting ladle forselectively displacing said plug rod for controlling the quantity ofmelt discharged from said bottom outlet.